Freedom
by GhostAdventuresLover17
Summary: Eponine has had enough of being abused and mistreated, and she's decided to do something about it. Song belongs to Kelly Clarkson, character belongs to Victor Hugo.


Freedom

Eponine walked slowly down the dark, quiet street. It was the middle of the night, and all of Paris was asleep, just the way she liked. Eponine loved walking at night. Everything was calm and quiet. There was no one around to disturb her. To boss her around. To make her do things she didn't want to do. To break her heart… She could think clearly and let her fantasies unwind, and she could be whoever she wanted to be. All of her life she had been a slave to her parents. They had abused her – physically, emotionally, and mentally – and they didn't love her. They dressed her in rags and only fed her enough to keep her alive. She was forced to run errands for them and be a part of all of her father's under-handed schemes. And on her fifteenth birthday – as her "birthday present" – she was given to Montparnasse, one of her father's friends – who was twenty at the time – to be his mistress… Eponine later discovered that Montparnasse had paid her father $200 in cash to sleep with her for a year… That night, she had fought and screamed and begged and pleaded, but Montparnasse hadn't listened… She had told him that she loved someone else – which was true – but that had only made him angry… He had taken advantage of her anyway, leaving her feeling heart-broken, defeated, dirty, and used… And then the next day he had told her father what had happened, and her father had beaten her senseless, screaming that she had to sleep with Montparnasse because he had "paid them good for it", that it didn't matter that she loved someone else, and that she had to work for their "family"… So every night after that – every night for the last three years – Eponine had gritted her teeth and let Montparnasse have his way with her. And whenever she could, Eponine spent time with the boy she loved, a young College student named Marius Pontmercy. She had been in love with him for five years now, ever since she was thirteen, and they were really good friends. In fact, they were best friends. But Marius was in love with a young, rich, beautiful girl named Cosette… He loved her more than anything in the world – or at least he said he did – and he had never once noticed, or even suspected that Eponine had feelings for him… Everyone but him could see the truth… Marius was the only good thing left in her life, and even he – although unintentionally – brought her heartache… Eponine sank back against the wall of the nearest building as tears filled her eyes. She was filled to the brim with so much negativity, and her heart was filled with negative emotions… Sadness, pain, jealousy, anger, hatred, bitterness… She kept it all bottled up and never showed her true emotions. All of her life she had built a solid, thick, concrete wall around her heart. A wall that used to only come down around Marius. But ever since he had fallen in love with Cosette, the wall had become permanent. It completely surrounded her heart, never came down for anyone or anything, and protected her from more heartache. But while the wall protected her, it had also turned her numb. She refused to let herself feel _anything_, and that made her come off as cold and aloof. Marius was the only one who had noticed the change – the only one who cared enough to notice it – but he couldn't possibly begin to understand it… Eponine was tired. She was emotionally – and even physically too – worn out from years of abuse and neglect. And she was done. She was done putting up with it. She'd had enough. She felt something come alive inside of her. A small flame had been lit inside of her, melting the concrete wall around her heart. A flame of hatred, anger, and defiance. Soon, though, the flame grew and grew and grew, until it became a blazing inferno. Eponine dried her tears and continued walking down the street. She felt strong and brave. Like she could do anything. Like she could be anything. Like she could have anything. It was a strange, new feeling. But she liked it. She continued walking, and she finally decided that she had to put the feeling into words. So she softly began to sing… "I don't wanna be left behind. Distance was a friend of mine. Catching breath in a web of lies. I've spent most of my life riding waves, playing acrobat. Shadow-boxing the other half. Learning how to react. I've spent most of my time catching my breath. Letting it go. Turning my cheek for the sake of the show. Now that you know this is my life, I won't be told what's supposed to be right! Catch my breath! No one can hold me back! I ain't got time for that! Catch my breath! Won't let them get me down! It's all so simple now!" Eponine practically danced through the streets as she sang, feeling stronger than she ever had before. She knew in her heart that she was free. _No one_ owned her. Not her parents. Not Montparnasse. Not even Marius… Eventually she reached the ABC Café, where Marius and his friends met daily, and where she often came to see him. She leaned back against the wall of the Café and thought about Marius, and about his group of friends. She enjoyed spending time with all of them, but she especially enjoyed spending time with Enjolras, the Revolutionary of the group, and Grantaire, the drunk. Whenever Eponine came to the Café, the four of them sat together: her, Marius, Enjolras, and Grantaire. And it was always very pleasant. None of them ever seemed to mind her company. In fact, the three men seemed to _enjoy_ spending time with her… And she enjoyed spending time with them... The realization hit Eponine like a ton of bricks: someone _did_ love her. Marius, Enjolras, and Grantaire loved her. A wide grin spread across Eponine's face as she continued singing. "Addicted to the love I've found. Heavy heart now a weightless cloud. Making time for the ones that count. I'll spend the rest of my time laughing hard with the windows down. Leaving footprints all over town. Keeping faith Karma comes around. I won't spend the rest of my life catching my breath. Letting it go. Turning my cheek for the sake of the show. Now that you know this is my life, I won't be told what's supposed to be right! Catch my breath! No one can hold me back! I ain't got time for that! Catch my breath! Won't let them get me down! It's all so simple now!" Eponine entered the dark, empty Café as she sang, thinking about Marius, Enjolras, and Grantaire. She vowed to herself then and there that, no matter what, she would come to the Café more often. Spend more time with the three men that she cared about more than anything in the world. And she also vowed that she would try to find and help her little brother, Gavroche, who her parents had kicked out of the house, and who was now living as an urchin on the streets. She wanted to help him and take care of him. Have a positive relationship with him. He _was_ her little brother after all. Eponine went up to the second floor, where she, Marius, Enjolras, and Grantaire hung out whenever she came. She went over to "their" table and stood beside it, her thoughts turning solely to Marius… She smiled as she thought of him, and her voice became very tender as she continued with her song. She closed her eyes, picturing his handsome face in her mind, and just let the words flow out of her. "You helped me see the beauty in everything!" Eponine opened her eyes and sang out proudly and defiantly. "Catching my breath. Letting it go. Turning my cheek for the sake of the show. Now that you know this is my life, I won't be told what's supposed to be right! Catching my breath. Letting it go. Turning my cheek for the sake of the show. Now that you know this is my life, I won't be told what's supposed to be right! Catch my breath! No one can hold me back! I ain't got time for that! Catch my breath! Won't let them get me down! It's all so simple now! It's all so simple now! Catching my breath. Letting it go. Turning my cheek for the sake of the show. Now that you know this is my life, I won't be told what's supposed to be right! Catch my breath! No one can hold me back! I ain't got time for that! Catch my breath! Won't let them get me down! It's all so simple now!" When the last note died on her lips, Eponine was standing in the center of the room, her arms spread open wide and her head thrown back. She had her eyes closed, and she could feel adrenaline pumping through her veins. She was free. She was going to make herself free. Marius, Enjolras, and Grantaire had always told her that she was always welcome at the ABC Café, and she knew that she could come here for sanctuary when she needed it. And she would. She was going to leave her old life behind. She was going to be free. And nothing and no one was ever going to hold her back.


End file.
